Naslov
The pathophysiology of the hygiene hypothesis

Autori
Prokopakis, Emmanuel ; Vardouniotis, Alexios ; Kawauchi, Hideyuki ; Scadding, Glenis ; Georgalas, Christos ; Hellings, Peter ; Velegrakis, George ; Kalogjera, Livije

Izvornik
International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology (0165-5876) 77 (2013), 7; 1065-1071

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, pregledni rad, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
allergy; sensitization; epidemiology; Th polarization; prevention

Sažetak
There has been a considerable increase in the diagnosis of allergic diseases over the last decades. Prevalence of allergies in high-income countries and urban areas appears higher than in rural environments. While environmental factors like pollution or nutrition can be important, it is more likely that in the end they have a small association with allergies. Childhood infections and exposure to certain microbial antigens on the other hand seem to present a strong negative correlation with allergies, and therefore the increase of the allergic burden in the Western world has been frequently related to a decline of childhood infections giving birth to the "Hygiene Hypothesis". We address the issue with emphasis on the associated pathophysiology tightrope walking between the skepticism of the critics, which cast doubt on it, and the pilgrims' belief of having discovered allergy's Holy Grail

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Temeljne medicinske znanosti, Kliničke medicinske znanosti

POVEZANOST RADA